Apple updates Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iOS

Apple on Tuesday released updated versions of its suite of iWork apps for iOS. Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iOS were each updated to version 1.7 to makes it easier to collaborate and share items with iWork for Mac and Microsoft Office. Apple has a complete list of all features compatible between Microsoft Office and iWork for iOS

Apple on Tuesday released updated versions of its suite of iWork apps for iOS. Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iOS were each updated to version 1.7 to makes it easier to collaborate and share items with iWork for Mac and Microsoft Office. Apple has a complete list of all features compatible between Microsoft Office and iWork for iOS

Apple also released an update to iWork for Mac; the iWork 9.3 update adds support for the new features introduced in the iWork for iOS apps.

Pages, iWork's word processing program, got a slew of new features to help the iOS app work more seamlessly with Microsoft Word and Pages for Mac. This update introduces the Change Tracking feature to iOS; you can now track changes to body text in a document you're editing. The Change Tracking feature also brings the ability to accept or reject individual changes, and you can now import a Pages or Word document that has change tracking enabled and continue to track these changes through iOS. These changes will be preserved when exporting a document from your iOS device to Pages or Word later on.

Other changes include the ability to add reflections to shapes and lock or unlock objects. Calculations in tables will also be preserved when importing from and exporting to Pages for Mac. (A full list of compatible features between Pages for iOS and Microsoft Word is available on Apple's Pages compatibility page.)

Keynote for iOS's new features provide a smoother transition between making a presentation on the iOS app and either Microsoft PowerPoint or Keynote for Mac. You can now make slides on iOS devices that you can export at the correct size for PowerPoint and Keynote for Mac; conversely, slides made through PowerPoint or Keynote for Mac can be imported to your iOS device at the correct size. You can also import and export presentation themes from an iOS device to your Mac, along with master slides and preset styles for that theme. You can play back all Keynote action builds (like Move, Rotate, Scale, and Opacity), and add new slide transitions. Another addition is new print layout that include the option to print with presenter notes, builds, or without backgrounds.

Like Pages, other new changes include the ability to add reflections to shapes and lock or unlock objects. Calculations in tables will also be preserved when importing from and exporting to Keynote for Mac. (A full list of compatible features between Keynote for iOS and Microsoft PowerPoint is available on Apple's Keynote compatibility page.)

If you use Numbers for iOS, you can now hide and unhide rows and columns, preserve rich text in tables when importing and exporting spreadsheets, add reflections to shapes, and lock or unlock objects. You can also import or export Numbers for Mac spreadsheets with filters, and turn filters on and off. These new features make it easier to move back and forth between your Mac and iOS device when working on a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel or Numbers for Mac. (A full list of features that work between Numbers for iOS and Microsoft Excel is available on Apple's Numbers compatibility page.)

Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iOS are available in the App Store for $10 each and have been optimized for the iPhone 5; version 1.7 is a free update if you already own any of these apps. Each requires iOS 5.1 or later, and is compatible with the iPad, iPhone 3GS or newer, and third-generation iPod touch or newer.

iWork 9.3 is recommended for users of iWork 9.0 and later and requires OS X 10.7.4 or later. It's available through the Mac App Store, Software Update, or through a standalone installer on the Apple Support Downloads page.

Apple has a complete list of all features compatible between Microsoft Office and iWork for iOS on the company's website